1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to computer systems, and more specifically relates to management of networked computer systems.
2. Background Art
Many networked computer system include a large number of different devices, including computer systems, routers, network switches, racks, communication links, etc., that are interconnected using a variety of different networks, including local area networks, wide area networks, and the Internet. The devices in a networked computer system are often referred to as Information Technology (IT) assets. Management of IT assets in a complex networked computer system requires significant effort by highly-skilled system administrators.
Various network management tools have been developed to make the job of a system administrators easier. For example, Systems Director is a software tool developed by IBM that helps system administrators by combining management functions for all IT assets into a central console, with automated discovery, monitoring and management of IT assets and workloads.